Syria doesn‘t have a lot of oil, but it has long been a major focus in terms of oil interests in the Middle East. It became a modern state after World War I in territories that had been part of the Ottoman Empire. After the war, France crushed an Arab bid for an independent kingdom, creating a colonial regime in Damascus that ended in 1946. When Syria got its independence, it was soon tattered by army coups, primarily supported by British and US intelligence services who were in competeition with one another for control over the region's oil. Egyptian and Russian interests soon made their way in Syria as well, while Arab and Syrian nationalism opposed the establishment of Israel.
Syria fought three wars with Israel and it intervened in Lebanon in 1976, remaining in control of Lebanese politics for a while. A Soviet ally during the Cold War, Syria has had conflicted or hostile relations not only with Israel but also with Iraq, Turkey and sometimes Jordan and its relations with the United States have generally been cool. But Syria's tough Baathist rulers, especially longtime president Hafiz al-Asad, played complex games of regional politics and took control of Lebanon with at least tacit Israeli and American approval.
Syria cooperated with George Bush in the alliance that drove Saddam from Kuwait in 1991, but the current Bush administration has taken an especially aggressive stance towards Damascus, naming it a member of the “axis of evil,” and accusing it of harboring terrorists that operate in Lebanon and attack US forces in occupied Iraq. Washington has ignored Syria's calls for an end to Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights. Accusing the regime of Bashir al-Asad as being a tyranny, the Bush administration talks about the need for regime change and hints at military intervention. Meanwhile, the CIA has used Syria's tough prisons as a site for extracting information from Washington's "rendition" prisoners. In spite of such shadowy cooperation, Syria appears to be a prime target in a future war to merge US interests in the oil-rich Middle East.
Syria doesn‘t have a lot of oil, but it has long been a major focus in terms of oil interests in the Middle East. It became a modern state after World War I in territories that had been part of the Ottoman Empire. After the war, France crushed an Arab bid for an independent kingdom, creating a colonial regime in Damascus that ended in 1946. When Syria got its independence, it was soon tattered by army coups, primarily supported by British and US intelligence services who were in competeition with one another for control over the region's oil. Egyptian and Russian interests soon made their way in Syria as well, while Arab and Syrian nationalism opposed the establishment of Israel.
Syria fought three wars with Israel and it intervened in Lebanon in 1976, remaining in control of Lebanese politics for a while. A Soviet ally during the Cold War, Syria has had conflicted or hostile relations not only with Israel but also with Iraq, Turkey and sometimes Jordan and its relations with the United States have generally been cool. But Syria's tough Baathist rulers, especially longtime president Hafiz al-Asad, played complex games of regional politics and took control of Lebanon with at least tacit Israeli and American approval.
Syria cooperated with George Bush in the alliance that drove Saddam from Kuwait in 1991, but the current Bush administration has taken an especially aggressive stance towards Damascus, naming it a member of the “axis of evil,” and accusing it of harboring terrorists that operate in Lebanon and attack US forces in occupied Iraq. Washington has ignored Syria's calls for an end to Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights. Accusing the regime of Bashir al-Asad as being a tyranny, the Bush administration talks about the need for regime change and hints at military intervention. Meanwhile, the CIA has used Syria's tough prisons as a site for extracting information from Washington's "rendition" prisoners. In spite of such shadowy cooperation, Syria appears to be a prime target in a future war to merge US interests in the oil-rich Middle East.
http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/intervention/syria/index.htm
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/syria_econ_1979.jpg